Living a simple sweet life, and learning to wait on the Lord

We’re having a fabulous summer!! Right after Ryan finished school we went to visit his family in St. Joseph, Michigan.

We had a great time…

Kilwin’s ice cream was definitely one of the highlights of our trip, mostly for Ryan (ok, ok, for me too…) He’s holding up his fingers to show how many times we had been to Kilwin’s while we were in Michigan. Just in case you were wondering, we went to Kilwin’s 9 out of the 10 days we were there. But don’t worry. We took a few walks. And just in case you were wondering, Kilwin’s sells all sorts of other tasty treats, like orange, lemon, and limeade, fudge, chocolates, and caramel apples. They’re all absolutely wonderful, just in case you were wondering. We highly recommend Kilwin’s.

Sunsets over Lake Michigan. Breathtaking, serene, majestic, awe-inspiring…every time I saw one my heart leaped at the thought that such a beautiful God would allow silly little humans the chance to see just a tiny bit of His glory.

Family. So thankful for the time we were able to spend together!! While we were there, we got to celebrate Ryan’s parents’ 40th anniversary, and had some family pictures taken on the beach. We especially loved hanging out with our niece, Abigail. She’s on the top right of this collage. Isn’t she a doll?? She was born 5 months before Avery, and when we were visiting last summer, she was still so tiny! I love all the changes that take place in the first few years of life. She has such a happy, spunky personality. It was also super fun getting to see what Avery will be like in a few months.

Father’s Day! My husband is such a wonderful Daddy to both of our kids…and I’ve especially loved watching him be such a super sweet Daddy to our little girl!! She loves him so much already.

Hi friends!!! I’m back! What in the world have I been doing for the 4+ months since my last post about Bert the Christmas tree, you might ask???? Well… I have been living life. Taking time to fully recover from the difficult pregnancy and delivery that brought our sweet little girl into the world. Learning to be a Mommy of 2. Reading to Jack (and teaching Jack to read!) Treasuring each new discovery Avery makes. Gardening. Reading the gospel of John and loving what I’m learning about my Savior. Realizing over and over how good God was to give me Ryan. Starting to be a friend again, and making some new friends. Life has been sweet and beautiful lately. Sometimes I find myself closing my eyes tight and wanting so badly to hold on to these precious moments, because I know they will pass so quickly. But then I open them again… and I love what I see. And I pray that I will live each precious moment with purpose…for Jesus. Here are a few glimpses into my little world lately…

This post is dedicated to my Aunt Ellen, who got Avery this ADORABLE hat! I especially love the fact that the flower is the size of Avery’s face. 🙂 We love you, Auntie!!! Thank you so much for adding to our small but growing collection of girly embellishments.

Here are a few of my favorite Avery pics from the past few weeks…she’s 2 months old as of Tuesday! At her doctor appointment, we found out she weighs 7 lbs, 13 oz, so she’s gained exactly 2 pounds since she was born. Since she had a hard time gaining weight in the beginning, that was very encouraging for this mommy! There’s finally some “chub” on her cheeks. 🙂 She’s only in the 5th percentile, and the size of many “just born newborns” (my friend Cristy had a baby boy this week who weighed 8 lbs, 14 oz!) but we’re not complaining.

Previously mentioned chubby cheeks

She loves to raise her left hand and wave…or praise the Lord…either one.

Today I made my first girly splurge purchase for Avery…and I’m sure it won’t be my last! There’s a little secondhand kids store near our house, and they have a whole wall of flowers and bows that you can mix and match with stretchy headbands…too much fun! I think the girl behind the counter got a kick out of how excited I was about the whole concept. Avery is excited too…she can hardly contain herself, as you can see. In other news, I think she might have really smiled at me this morning. 🙂